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Twelve hour timeline of oil rig emergency

8 August 2016

Photo: Jan Berghuis, captain AHT Kolga

The 33-year-old Norwegian oil rig blown ashore at Lewis, was on a voyage to the scrapyard.

Costs of upgrading the North Sea drilling sea, Transocean Winner, was too expensive, particularly given the slump in the offshore sector.

The rig was being towed from Stavanger, Norway, to Malta before being scrapped in Turkey.

Jan Berghuis, captain of the anchor handling tug, AHT Kolga, photographed the tow departing Norway.

 

Timeline

6.15pm Sunday. First call to coastguard. Alert from the tug MV Alp Forward which is having trouble maintaining headway in the wind and experiencing heavy weather west of Lewis while towing Transocean Winner rig. Coastguards go into response mode, monitor progress of tug and tow.

10.30pm Sunday. Situation deteriorates. Incident upgraded to emergency level. Coastguards mobilise and firm up contingency plans.

1.00am Monday. Weather and sea conditions worsen, high waves hammer tug and rig. Wind speed exceeds 50mph.

4.20am Monday. Tow is overpowered by severe weather. Captain of tug MV Alp Forward radios coastguard to say tow line has broken. Pushed by strong north westerly winds the oil rig drifts helplessly towards shore.

6.15am Monday. Oil rig hits rocks and runs aground at Dalmore beach.